South America Vacations

Antarctica Vacation Packages

Discover the magic and wonder of the “White Continent” aboard the stylish and comfortable MS Fram. Explore vistas of blue white glaciers and busy penguin rookeries. See breaching whales crashing and scenes of pure ice walls. Cruise through the Lemaire Channel, where steep, sheer cliffs rise above the narrow iceberg-filled passage. Zip by zodiac boat into small bays and harbors, for personal and in-depth exploration. Explore Whalers Bay on Deception Island, with its warm springs and black volcanic sand. Explore Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, Argentina.

Day 4: The Drake Passage

Begin your cruise south through the Drake Passage, named for legendary English privateer, Sir Francis Drake, although he actually reached the Pacific through the Strait of Magellan! Experts will provide informative sessions during this day of sea cruising. The Drake Passage often promises good sightings of whales and sea birds.

Day 5: The Drake Passage - Arrive Antarctica

Complete the crossing of the Drake Passage and arrive in Antarctica. The ethereal beauty and immense scale of this last great wilderness is like nowhere else on the planet. Antarctica stretches on, across ice-covered desert and mountains, for over five million square miles. The size of the continent actually doubles in winter when the pack ice forms.

Day 6: Antarctica

The next four days will be filled with discovery and surprises as you explore the vast “White Continent.” You’ll cruise through the glacier-lined Lemaire Channel, which hugs the Antarctic Peninsula. Nicknamed the “Kodak Gap,” its seven miles offer frame after frame of breathtaking scenery. Humpback, killer and minke whales are common sights in the calm waters between the sheer cliffs. Icebergs float by quietly. Elephant and leopard seals bask on the shores. You’ll enter the maze-like Neumayer Channel and cruise by its majestic cliffs. PolarCirkel, rugged zodiac boats, zip you from the MS Fram to incredible locations along the Antarctic Peninsula, including: • Half Moon Island. This small island in the South Shetland chain offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. It’s a nesting place for chinstrap penguins, kelp gulls and the Antarctic tern.

Day 7: Antarctica

You will make visits by PolarCirkel (zodiac) boats to various locations, including: • Whalers Bay, Deception Island. The graceful curving arch of Deception Island is a flooded, active, volcanic caldera. You’ll zodiac into Whalers Bay, a round bay with the ruins of a 20th century whaling station on its shore. The black volcanic sand and waters upon the beach are warmed by geothermal vents. • Almirante Brown Research Station in Paradise Harbor. Glaciers and mountains ring Paradise Harbor on the Antarctic continent. Gentoo and chinstrap penguins nest all around the research station.

Day 8: Antarctica

You will make visits by PolarCirkel (zodiac) boats to various locations, including: • Neko Harbor. Neko Harbor is popular with elephant and Weddel seals and home to a busy gentoo penguin colony. This, too, is part of the Antarctic mainland.

Day 9: Antarctica

You will make visits by PolarCirkel (zodiac) boats to various locations, including: • Port Lockroy. Port Lockroy, a natural harbor on Goudier Island, is home to a former British base. It hosts a large colony of gentoo penguins, is home to blue-eyed cormorants, and is surrounded by mountains, glaciers and ice shelves.

 Day 10: Antarctica - Drake Passage

Leave Antarctica and cross the fabled southern waters of the Drake Passage again, participating in engaging lectures on the wonders you’ve just experienced. These waters are rich in krill, the tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that are the favored food of many whales.

Day 11: Drake Passage - Ushuaia, Argentina - Disembark Ship - Buenos Aires

Land in Ushuaia, just as many adventurers have throughout history. Disembark the MS Fram and enjoy leisure time in Ushuaia. Meander the local shops and cafes or perhaps join an optional tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park. Later, transfer to the airport and return to Buenos Aires. The remainder of your day is at leisure to explore or simply relax.

Day 12: Buenos Aires

Explore the charms of Argentina today on your own or through optional tour excursions. Perhaps you will choose to take off for the pampas and enjoy a typical asado lunch, prepared over an open fire. There, enjoy traditional gaucho music and dancing, hallmarks of Argentine culture. This evening, relish a dinner featuring Argentine favorites before a performance exuding the passion and drama of the dance Buenos Aires has given the world - tango!

Day 13: Buenos Aires - Tour Ends

Your tour ends today in Buenos Aires. This evening board your overnight flight and return home with memories of Argentine culture and Antarctic adventures filled with gorgeous scenery.

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